MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Early this week, the financial arm of GM told the world that they weren’t going to finance vehicle leasing in Canada. It’s a result, they said, of credit conditions south of the border.

But within hours of that announcement, Isuzu Canada stepped up with all the razzmatazz of a retail car dealership and announced the first ever — as far as we know– zero-percent financing for commercial vehicles.

Isuzu, formally known as Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada (ICTC) has introduced “zero-percent program for up to 60 months on their gas-engine trucks.” (Diesel-powered models can be purchased at 4.9 percent financing, for well-qualified customers.)

And according to the Isuzu people, the reduced-rate financing “is a more viable alternative” to leasing.

The right combination of finance rate and cost could mean the purchaser will end up with a better payment schedule than if he had leased the truck.

An Isuzu spokesman said the swing away from leasing is a result of the capital markets taking a very restrictive stance regarding the lease business.

The company also hopes that this should put to rest any doubt that Isuzu — a comparatively new arrival north of the 49th — is taking the Canadian market very seriously.